


Timeless

by itsmorethanfine



Series: Timeless [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Hints of robin/dean, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love, Sad Castiel, Sad Dean, Teen Romance, Teenage Castiel/Teenage Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:56:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmorethanfine/pseuds/itsmorethanfine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean spends most of his life alone and he's never really had any friends other than Sam. When he happens to bump into Castiel, literally, he isn't sure what counts as a friend and what doesn't. Will he really happen to hold onto this friendship even though the hunter life screams against it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timeless

_7:46 AM._

Dean couldn’t get the idea out of his head. It was almost like a parasite that relished on his happiness, almost trying to get a high off it. He thought about it everywhere, in the classroom, in his Dad’s car on the way back from school, in the kitchen while he tried to finish his food.

He felt like a little girl with a crush.

“Eat.” John’s voice broke into his thoughts and Dean immediately focused.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’ve been dawdling all week. What is it? Some girl?”

 _If only,_ Dean thought to himself. If only his thoughts were occupied on some _one_ instead of some _thing._

“No, sir. I’m sorry.”

John nodded in approval of his apology and went back to the morning paper. Dean breathed a quiet sigh of relief because his dad wasn’t prodding with more questions. Because if John Winchester wanted to know something, he damn well tried his hardest.

Dean excused himself from the table and ran up the stairs to his room, closing it behind him and pulling out the little piece of paper from his pocket. It was folded a million times, and it was already ripping at the folds because of how many times it had been carefully and carelessly opened.

His huge master plan was right there in front of him, and for a second, he was consumed with self-doubt. What if something went wrong? What if there was something behind the doors and Dean was killed? He’d probably be haunted in hell when John got there eventually.

He pushed the negative thoughts from his mind and replayed the process in his mind.

He’d leave early. Right after his last class. It was a good thing that John had volunteered to pick up Sam from school, so now Dean was free.

He’d make his way through the darkest alleys, trying to throw off his scent, in case anyone was following him.

Then he’d finally reach the dreaded fence and because of his training, he’d jump over easily and he’d be on the other side. The side that no one really wanted to be on.

 _But, you’re not everyone. You’re Dean Winchester. Not Dean Losechester._ His dad’s words rang in his mind over and over, and with a slight burst of self-confidence, he moved onto the next step.

After he was on the other side of the fence, he would creep swiftly, reach the doors, knock as hard as he could and run for his freaking life until he reached the huge oak tree where he would hide until it was all clear.

Dean smiled at himself. That was a good idea. That was a _brilliant_ plan. He’d finally be able to cross another thing off his list. Ding Dong Ditching.

He would have invited Sam to come along but the kid was way too short and he couldn’t run as fast and besides he spoke too loud. It was like his voice box was permanently set on the maximum.

Dean folded the paper in his pocket and grabbed his backpack on the way out and just in time, as John yelled their names up the stairs to get into the damn car before he came upstairs and dragged them out by the ear.

He barely registered what was going on the entire day. He barely even noticed Lisa, who was giving him the eye the entire time. He wasn’t exactly sure how to explain the fact that he was obsessed with this stupid idea.

Maybe it was because they’d been stuck in the same town for so long, and he hadn’t been on a hunt in a while. He needed something that got the adrenaline pumping through his veins and there wasn’t anything in this boring town to even _do_. And ding dong ditching had been the first idea that he’d been genuinely excited about.

_2:00 PM._

As soon as the last bell for the last class rang, he was already halfway down the hallway, backpack slung over his shoulder as he made for the doors as fast as he could. The hallways were just filling with people and Dean Winchester was already on the other end of the parking lot, running as fast he could. He still needed to get back home before John did, otherwise he wouldn’t ever hear the end of that story.

Dean was going over the plan in his head for the fifteenth time when he had reached the fence. He knew it was the fence because he’d thought about it obsessively for the last few weeks and there was probably nothing creepier in this town than this house. It looked dead from the outside, and the only signs of life was the car in the driveway, which looked about forty years old. She was gorgeous and Dean tried not to stare as he made his way past it and jogged to the front door.

_2:14 PM._

It was now or never. He probably wouldn’t find a day as good as this one to finally do the thing that he’d been thinking about forever.

 He crept through the bushes, trying to be as stealthy as possible. His heart was beating like crazy, as he approached the front of the house. The door knocker was really ancient, it was almost falling apart, pretty much like every other thing about the house.

Dean raised his hand, knocked as hard as he could. And then he ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, over the huge front lawn, past the creepiness of it all. He looked back to see if anyone had opened the door, but suddenly he ran into something really solid and fell on the ground.

_2:15 PM._

“Oh shit,” he muttered, when he realized that the thing he’d bumped into was actually a human being. Someone that had witnessed his immaturity first hand.

The other guy groaned, rubbing his forehead in pain.

“I’m really sorry, dude. I didn’t see where I was going,” Dean apologized, pulling himself off the ground.

He noticed the tan trench coat that the other guy was wearing was coated with the mud from the ground and Dean immediately felt a twinge of guilt.

“It’s fine,” he said. “I guess I wasn’t either.” He looked around in annoyance, and Dean realized. The entire lawn was scattered with papers that he’d evidently carried with him before Dean had bumped into headfirst and ruined everything.

“I’m so sorry, Christ. I didn’t mean to. I guess I got a little carried away,” Dean said, in a rush as he realized how much of a mess it actually was. He held out a hand, hoping desperately that the guy would take it.

“Thanks,” he said, glancing up. And Dean felt the wind knocked out of him. Like there was something about this guy that was making Dean feel all weird and breathless. And his stomach wouldn’t stop freaking out.

But, he was a _guy_. The only other guy that had ever made him feel like this was Dr. Sexy and for Christ’s sake, Dr. Sexy wasn’t even real.

Dean barely noticed that he had gotten up and was helping him pick up loose papers. He pulled himself together enough to say “Here, let me.”

The other guy nodded. “Thanks,” he repeated. Dean handed him the rest of the paper, cheeks burning with guilt.

“Why were you running?”

“W-what?” Dean’s mind froze. He should’ve thought this through, but he’d never expected to actually get caught.

Because he’d never gotten caught.

Not with a wendigo, a shtriga or anything because if he had, he’d be dead by now.

“You were running away from my house.”

“Your house? You live here?”

He nodded. “Yes. I have no idea why you’re so confused.”

“I had no idea anyone lived here. Or even if they did, I just never expected someone like you to live here.”

“Because of my age?”

“Yeah, you’re really young. This is kind of like, an old creepy person’s house.”

The other guy laughed softly. “My uncle lives here. I’m only here to visit him.”

“Is your uncle old and creepy then?”

“I’m assuming so. According to you, only people that fit that characteristic live here.”

Dean laughed. “Y-you’re right.” He could feel the butterflies multiplying in his stomach as he struggled to break free. He could barely breathe. This guy was so handsome. And not just in the normal sense. He was so hot, he was making Dean feel weak in the knees.

“I should, uh, head out,” Dean said.

“You still haven’t told me why you were running. There’s nothing remotely frightening about this house other than the aesthetics of it, but I assure you, there are no ghosts or other paranormal creatures here.”

Dean bit his lip, wanting to contradict his statement, but he knew better than to do that. “I was ding dong ditching,” he muttered, eyes fixed firmly on the ground.

“You were what?”

“Ding dong ditching. You know? When you knock on the door and run. Except I ran into you, so that was awkward.”

For a second, the other guy looked really confused, but soon enough, he smiled really wide. “So, it was a prank?”

He nodded.

“That seems really fun.”

“It is,” Dean agreed tentatively. He wasn’t sure whether the guy was agreeing because he genuinely meant it or whether he was going to start yelling in the next ten seconds.

“Could you show me how to do that?”

“Wait, what?”

This guy actually wanted to go knocking on random doors with him? And he’d just met the guy, too. Not that Dean was opposed to the idea or anything because obviously who _wouldn’t_ want to go on a ding dong ditching spree with someone this attractive?

He wondered how beautiful the guy would look with his hair flying in the wind as they ran.

“I have my afternoon free. I could come on this ditching spree of ding dongs if you don’t mind,” he said, confidently.

Dean burst out laughing. In a few seconds, he was laughing so hard, he doubled over and clutched at his side. “That was hilarious,” he panted, looking up, meeting a very confused gaze.

He cleared his throat and straightened. “It was funny,” he mumbled.

“I’m glad I could make you laugh. You have a very beautiful one.”

Dean blinked, before feeling his cheeks turn warm. “Th-thanks. I’m, uh, Dean,” he said, raising his hand.

“Castiel,” he replied, taking it. His grip was really firm, and Dean felt a jolt go through his arm when Castiel touched him.

“Well, I’m going to get going, but you, uh, can join me if you want.”

Castiel nodded. “I would love to.”

“Right, so, if you wanna drop those papers off at home, we can go.”

He nodded again. “That’s a great idea. I’ll be right back,” he said, heading back the way Dean had just come running. Dean watched him go, wondering whether his heart would ever stop racing at a thousand miles per hour. Or whether the stupid butterflies would stop fluttering because it was getting really uncomfortable.

Yeah, he had wanted an adrenaline rush, but who knew that meeting a cute guy with just the right shade of blue in his eyes and a beautifully contrasting hair color would give him just that?

_2:20 PM._

By the time he’d finished gathering his thoughts, Castiel was already out of house, his trench coat swaying behind him as he ran.

“Let’s go?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah, of course. Do you have any places in mind?” he asked, as he jogged to keep up with Castiel’s surprisingly brisk pace.

“I do,” he replied, taking a sharp right at the corner. “There’s this one house by the high school that I’ve always wanted to ditch ding dongs on.”

“Cas, I don’t think that’s--” Dean started, but he broke off. “Castiel, I mean.”

“Cas,” he said, rolling the word over in his mouth. “You can call me that.”

“Okay, great. Sorry, I just give people nicknames. Like my brother Sam is Sammy and you know.”

“You do that with your friends, too?” Cas asked, taking another sharp turn. Dean picked up his pace.

“Uh, sure, I guess. I don’t have a lot.”

“Of course you do,” Cas said. “How can you not have any friends?”

Dean blinked. “Uh, well my dad moves around a lot. Takes my brother and me with him wherever he goes. So, it’s been pretty unstable. Can’t have too many attachments.”

“What does your dad do?” Cas had now slowed to a walk and Dean was grateful. His side was aching since he wasn’t used to running and talking at the same time. Running away from a rakshasa wasn’t time to make small talk.

“He’s a salesman,” Dean said. It was the same lie they told everyone, their dad needed to take care of them, couldn’t drop them off at Grandma’s house.

“What kind of salesman?”

“He’s a vendor for this one company. So, he goes around and tries to sell people the stuff that the company manufactured.”

“Here,” Cas said, spotting a huge house on the side. He made his way across the unkempt lawn, his footsteps quiet, as though they weren’t carrying his weight at all.

Dean couldn’t help but wonder how great of a hunter Cas could be if he came along.

But, even he knew that that was the dumbest idea he had ever had.

They would leave. Again. Just like they always did.

So, he pulled himself to the present, trying to preserve the next few minutes in his mind, so that he would have something to fall back on when they left.

They knocked on at least seven houses, running as fast as they could when they heard someone shuffle on the other side of the door. Everything was totally worth it just to see the confused expressions of the people that lived at the target of choice.

Each time, they ran, bumping into each other as they tore down the lawn searching for the closest cover. From time to time, he’d suddenly realize that Cas was right _next_ to him. And it would freak him out just a little bit.

He’d had crushes before, but Cas seemed to be the first guy that he’d sort of fallen in love with, what with his face and gorgeousness of it all. He couldn’t afford to do this and he shuddered to think what John would do if he found out.

Cas sat down on the sidewalk in front of a house that they’d run from and Dean joined him.

“Tired?”

“Slightly, yes.”

Dean grinned. “I’m more hungry than tired, but I mean, I’m always hungry.”

“You and me both,” Cas said, throwing him a small smile. Dean realized that it wasn’t always involuntary; he chose his smiles carefully. It was a shame though, he had a gorgeous one. One that Dean would stare at forever and ever if he could.

_3:20 PM._

Dean checked his watch and almost screamed. He had about ten minutes to get home before Sam and John got back. He jumped up and Cas stared.

“What is it?”

“I gotta go. I’m gonna be late and my dad will kill me if I am.”

He waved a hurried goodbye and left before Cas could say anything, sprinting down the street.

Thankfully, he wasn’t too far away from the little motel that they were staying at and he made it with four minutes to spare. He unlocked the door, sped inside and tried to look like he hadn’t just run all around the neighborhood with a cute guy.

But, the warmth in his cheeks seemed to be going nowhere.

*

The days slowly turned into weeks and Dean spent most of his afternoons with Cas over at their little dingy motel. Sam was probably his biggest fan because he’d always ask Cas when he was coming back whenever he was over. John hadn’t met him yet, which Dean thought was great, because not only would not be able to stop blushing, but John would figure it out pretty soon and Dean wasn’t exactly ready to see what would happen if that happened.

He’d been missing for about a week or so. It wasn’t the longest he’d gone off on a hunt, so Dean wasn’t worried.

_4:16 PM._

“Hey, Cas?” Sam asked, looking up from his homework.

They were all trying to do their homework. Cas, as it turned out, went to the private school up near the richer neighborhoods, close to where they had met. His dream was to go on to study the stars in the sky, which Dean thought was the most adorable thing ever, and potentially discover something that set him apart from everyone else.

“Yes, Sam?”

“How does the Little Dipper look different from the Big Dipper?”

“They’re not that different,” Cas said, getting up from his spot by the window and joining Sam on the floor. “The Little Dipper is just smaller than the Big Dipper. Hence the names.”

“But, why are they called that?”

“Because they look like ladles, which I’m assuming you’re familiar with. They’re dipped into things.”

Sam laughed. “That’s really unoriginal.”

“That really is,” Cas agreed, as he ruffled Sam’s hair.

Dean watched the entire exchange with the biggest grin on his face. Now that he’d come to terms with the fact that he might actually have a thing for Cas and his blue eyes, he’d stopped trying to deny the existence of butterflies in his stomach. It was kind of important to him that Sam like Cas, and from everything over the last few weeks, Dean couldn’t have been happier.

“Hey, Cas?” Dean asked.

“Hmm?”

“How do you solve this problem?”

Dean knew how to do his math homework. He wasn’t stupid. It was just the idea of Cas leaning over his shoulder, breathing lightly as he surveyed the problem in front of him. And if Dean was brave enough, he’d sometimes look sideways at Cas’ profile which was only millimeters from his own. And though they weren’t touching, it made Dean’s heart jump around in his ribcage like he was high or something.

_4:19 PM._

And sure enough, Cas did just that. He smelled like he always did, of warmth and spearmint, which were contrasting just like his eyes and his hair.

“I think you just need to pull the _x_ out of the equation and then substitute the limit for it.”

Dean nodded. “Right, of course.”

To his disappointment, Cas slid back to his original place near the window, leaving traces of his scent behind. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t dreamt of falling asleep next to him, their bodies pressed together under the heat of the blanket they’d be sharing. He blushed at the thought and turned back to the rest of his homework.

He had it bad. And it sucked that they would leave, just like they always did.

*

Cas and he walked home from school together, meeting at the coffee shop in the middle. It had some kickass chocolate chip cookies that Dean could never get enough of, but nothing in the world compared to their world famous pie.

_2:07 PM._

He spotted Cas sitting by himself on the chair outside, a fat book in his hand.

“Ready?”

Cas smiled up at him, crinkles forming by his eyes. “Yes, of course.”

Dean tried to distract himself by telling Cas about how Ash had caught his shirt on fire during chemistry lab, just like he always had. Cas was a good audience, laughing at the right spots, listening intently to every word Dean was saying. The attention was more than just flattering, and it made him blush more than he’d admit.

They reached the fork road, and Cas stopped him.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” he said, making Dean’s chest immediately tighten.

_2:12 PM._

He wasn’t sure what to expect, but he really, really hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was going to be.

“I like you, Dean. And I have for a while now. I was hoping that you felt the same way about me.”

Dean bit his lip, the air flow suddenly seemed scarce. “Cas… I’m going to be leaving this town sometime soon and we can’t do this.”

“We could for a while,” Cas said, defensively.

It was true, but he wasn’t sure he had it in him to leave Cas behind. “I know, but, it’s just not going to happen, okay?”

“You’ve been in this town for almost two months. So, shouldn’t that be enough to at least try?”

“I can’t do that. It won’t work out,” Dean said, biting his lip again as a wave of pain flashed on Cas’ face. “And I’m just going to be leaving, like I always do, alright? And you don’t need that.”

Cas nodded. “Okay, I understand. But, if you change your mind, come ding dong ditching with me today at four. I hope you will change your mind because you’re a wonderful friend and I really have enjoyed your company.”

“I’ll think about it,” Dean said bravely, as if his heart wasn’t just exploding into thousands of pieces inside him.

Cas gave him another nod and set off down the road, his long trench coat swaying behind him.

*

_2:26 PM._

Dean went straight home and collapsed onto his bed. He really, really more than liked Cas, but it wasn’t a good idea.

And they were both young. Surely life had other surprises in store for the both of them.

_What made Cas any different from the other girls who you’ve dated in the other towns? What about Robin? You knew her longer than you’ve known Cas… And you still went to the dance with her._

And so on and so forth, his thoughts bounced around the entire afternoon. Every single fiber of his being was telling him not to say yes to Cas because what good would come of it? But, he couldn’t just let Cas _go_.

At first he tried to distract himself by getting something to eat, but there was barely anything at home and he didn’t want to finish the Lucky Charms that Sam would probably want. So then he switched on the TV and watched some mindless TV drama, except that nothing went to his head because it was already full with Castiel.

_3:35 PM._

Dean finally made up his mind.

He was going to go. He was going to see Cas and tell him that he was sorry and that he’d wanted it all along and nothing had ever set his heart racing so fast, not even a hunt, since he’d set eyes on Cas. No matter where the future led them, they were going to stay in touch and Dean was going to have this.

Just then, John and Sam walked in through the front door. Sam looked like he’d been crying and Dean stood.

“What happened?”

“Pack up, we’re moving.”

“Wait what?”

John turned on him. “Didn’t you understand what I just said? We’re leaving.”

Dean spluttered helplessly. “We can’t just _leave_.”

“Are you seriously questioning me right now?”

Dean shook his head silently, realizing he’d almost put a toe out of line. “No sir.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said menacingly. “Go get your stuff together.”

Sam scurried off to the bathroom to pack up their toothbrushes, while Dean mechanically threw their clothes together in their duffle bag.

_3:50 PM._

All their meagre belongings had been packed and stowed in the back of the Impala. Dean’s heart had never felt heavier. He’d never meant to fall in love so hard. He’d never meant to get attached to someone. He’d learnt that lesson before, hadn’t he? He’d suffered enough heartbreak right before he’d left Robin dateless the night of the school dance.

Of course this time would be no different.

He silently chided himself as his thoughts turned more violently angry. He couldn’t hate his dad for what he did, it wasn’t his fault at all.

Dean just had horrible timing. And the most unfortunate luck.

There really was no one to blame but himself.

_3:56 PM._

“Hey, Dad? Don’t the schools need a termination notice or something like that?”

The Impala was purring in the quiet afternoon but everything else seemed to be absolutely silent as John turned around.

“Since when have school termination notices been more important than saving people’s lives?”

“No, sir, I’m sorry.”

_3:58 PM._

They were on the highway, headed for some faraway place that John hadn’t bothered to tell them yet. Dean’s thoughts were still stuck on the small town of Pontiac, Illinois. Sam was dead to the world as he was fast asleep on Dean’s shoulder.

_3:59 PM._

He checked his watch nervously again. He could picture Castiel’s beautiful face as he waited for Dean, who was about three miles south already, riding where the wind was taking him. He couldn’t believe he’d never said yes. He couldn’t believe that he’d been selfish for what seemed like the umpteenth time in his life. He couldn’t believe that he’d almost said no to Cas.

_4:00 PM._

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t even said yes.

_4:01 PM._

‘You are now leaving Pontiac, Illinois. Thanks for visiting!’

*

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really sorry that this turned out sad. I actually wasn't intending it to be like that at all. I was just extremely sad and I guess that channeled by inner writing skills to make this one OTP sad as well. If you guys want a sequel, let me know? Possibly leave comments? And maybe check out my other works, too? I have a possible idea to turn this into a mini-bang and I've never published any of my mini-bangs, so let me know!


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